By Hal McCoy
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, still watching the Cincinnati Reds, still writing about the Cincinnati Reds, wondering why I’m still watching the Cincinnati Reds and writing about the Cincinnati Reds.
—THREE-THREE-THREE: On back-to-back-to back days, the Cincinnati Reds won a game in New York, a game in Atlanta and a game in St. Louis.
That’s three wins in three days in three separate cities.
My Crackerjack research team can’t find if that every happened — three wins in three days in three different towns. My research team? Wife Nadine and dogs Quinn and Parker.
The latter two told me, “You’re barking up the wrong tree.”
A reliable source, my Starbucks barista, told me the Reds had never done it, but she isn’t certain if any other team did it.
Then she said, “Big deal. Then they lost two straight in St. Louis, scored only two runs in two games.”
—103, 105 SKIDOO: When pitcher Aroldis Chapman was a 22-year-old rookie for the Cincinnati Reds in 2010, he threw a pitch clocked at 105 miles per hour.
A few days later, the license plate on his yellow Lamborghini was ‘105MPH.’
He is now 36 and the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Has he lost anyhing off his fastball? In a game this week he ended it by striking out Miami’s Otto Lopez on a 103 miles an hour fastball.
So he’s lost a couple of miles an hour, right? Wrong. In early August he struck out San Diego’s Manny Machado with a fastball that clocked in at 105.1 miles an hour, living up to his license plate.
And Chapman has grabbed the closer’s role away fromm David Bednar.
—JUST KEEP RUNNING: Was it hustle or the lethargic opposition? Probably a dash of both.
Lane Thomas of the Cleveland Guardians had two infield hits in a game this week and drove in four runs. How can that be?
Easy. They were playing the Chicago ShySox and handing them their 114th loss, 6-4. Thomas twice came to bat with runners on third and second and beat out an infield hit. And both runners scored.
Against the ShySox, if the bases had been loaded it is not beyond belief that the runner on first might have scored, too.
—THE RIGHT MOVE: From my great friend and fellow baseball scribe/blackjack aficionado Brad Schmaltz:
Michael Cammarata is the only player who played in the Little League World Series (1991) in Williamsport to have his number (11) retired.
And it was not for home runs or no-hitters. It was not about baseball. It was more important.
Cammarata, a firefighter, lost his life at age 22 after the attacks on the World Trade Center. He played right field for a Staten Island (NY) team that made it to Williamsport.
Right on!
—KENNEDY & KENNEDY: On November 18, 1963, President John F. Kennedy gave a nine-minute speech from the second base area of Tampa’s Al Lopez Field, then the spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds.
The next day during a Florida Instructional League game, a rookie for the Washington Nationals played second base and stood right where President Kennedy stood. The second baseman’s name? John Kennedy. . .and he had two hits that day.
Amazingly, both were born on May 23.
Then 72 hours later, JFK was assassinated in Dallas near the Dealey Plaza.
Another Al Lopez Field strange-but-true tale. In the last game before Al Lopen Field was demolished, Reds rookie Lloyd McClendon hit a walk-off home run. The pitcher was. . .wait for it. . .Aurelio LOPEZ.
—THIS IS MY HOUSE: Speaking of Al Lopez Field, it was named after the Tampa native who was a major-league catcher and major-league manager.
Lopez was managing the Chicago White Sox in 1963, a team that trained in Sarasota. But the White Sox had a spring exhibition game at Al Lopez Field.
Lopez disputed a call against his team and umpire John Stevens said, “One more word out of you and your’re gone.”
Said Lopez, “You can’t throw me out, this is my ball park, named after me.”
And that’s when Stevens threw him out of his own ball park.
—THE SHORTSTOP SEARCH: From 1985 through 1994, a span of 10 years, the New York Yankees searched and searched for a shortstop. During that decade they played 23 different players at shortstop.
In 1995, they planned to use 33-year-old Tony Fernandez at shortstop, but during spring training he fractured his elbow diving for a ball.
What to do, what to do? Well, they had this 23-year-old kid they decided to give an audition.
Hia name? Derek Jeter. . .and he was the Yankees shortstop for the next 20 years.
And as radio legend Paul Harvey would say, “And now you know the rest of the story.”
—ANOTHER BROWN-OUT?: Are the Cleveland Browns willing to admit that they made a huge mistake in giving quarterback DeShaun Watson the Terminal Tower, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the West Side Market and Playhouse Square?
In Cleveland’s 33-17 loss to Dallas in the opener, Watson was 0 for 10 on pass attempts beyond 10 yards. He was sacked six times, hit 17 times and pressured 25 times.
Some of the blame for that stuff needs to be distributed to some offensive linemen who think they are playing flag football.
—CASH AND CARRY: After wins over Akron and Western Michigan, Ohio State leads the Mid-American Conference with a 2-and-0 record.
When (that’s when, not if) Ohio State beats Marshall next Saturday, the Buckeyes will be 1-and-0 in Conference USA.
Like Akron and Western Michigan, the Thundering Herd will thunder home with a lopsided loss and a lopsided check. How lopsided? $1.6 million.
Hey, Akron only got $600,000. But Western Michigan hauled home $1.8 million. Akron obviously needs a new negotiator.
—PLAYLIST NUMBER 91: Creeping up on the century mark with some songs from the late 20th century:
Seasons In The Sun (Terry Jacks), The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies), The Gambler (Kenny Rogers), Cara Mia (Jay Black & The Americans), Troubadour (George Strait).
No Matter What (Boyzone), Please Forgive Me (Bryan Adams). You Make My Dreams Come True (Hall & Oates), Glory Of Love (Peter Cetera), Diamonds (Rihanna), These Dreams (Heart)